Protecting students starts with you.

Institutions and Education agents are the first line of defense against tuition scams for students navigating international tuition payments.

Scams and unofficial platforms surge during peak payment periods, putting students at risk.

Student Payment Safety Checklist

A checklist for students and their families to ensure a smooth and secure international education journey.

1

Stay Safe Online

  • Always check that the website address starts with https:// to ensure encrypted and secure transactions.
  • Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive financial transactions.
  • Never click on links in suspicious emails.

2

Guard Your Personal Information

  • Do not share personal details, login credentials, or banking information with anyone offering unsolicited help or discounts.
  • Only share information with verified university representatives or officially authorized payment providers.
  • Verify any "official" documents presented by individuals with your institution first.

3

Verify All Requests

  • Be wary of urgent requests for payment or personal info, especially from individuals claiming to be government agents.
  • Independently verify the legitimacy of such requests through official university or government channels.

4

Be Alert to Suspicious Offers

  • Ignore offers that sound too good to be true, such as significant discounts or volunteers offering to pay for you.
  • Exercise caution with approaches made on campus, at student events, or during visa processes.

5

Report Suspicious Activity

  • If you suspect fraud, immediately stop all communication with the individual.
  • Report the activity to your university and local authorities immediately.

6

Choose Trusted Payment Providers

  • Use payment platforms officially recommended or integrated by your education institution.
  • Use Flywire to send tuition directly to your institution with secure, step-by-step tracking.

How Flywire Protects Students

Flywire’s Built-In Fraud Protection

✓ Payments only processed to authorized Flywire clients

✓ Data validation checks at every step

✓ Refunds go only to the original payment source

✓ Automated fraud monitoring at system and processor levels

Machine Learning & Risk Scoring

✓ Model uses past payment data and analyst feedback

✓ Each payment gets a risk score based on key factors:

    • User activity, payment attempts, device fingerprint
    • IP address, card and email characteristics

✓ Threshold-based rules determine next steps

Continuous Improvements

✓ Chargeback rate well below industry average

✓ Ongoing monitoring of rules and thresholds

✓ 3DS, partner controls, and internal tools for fraud response

✓ Engineering teams regularly refine the model